Nintendo finally revealed the Switch today, formerly by the codename NX, it seems this new system is a hybrid portable and home system. It features a docking station that connects to TVs and a modular controller that you can remove the joypads from and connect directly to the Switch for playing on the go. In addition to the modular controller there is also a more traditional Pro controller shown in the video. The Switch also features cartridge based games like the Nintendo 3DS.
The Switch features local multplayer support for many games and you can link up multiple Switch consoles to play with more people locally.
“We’re happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Nintendo on the trailer. While we are not confirming any specific titles at this time, we are pleased to announce our partnership with Nintendo and support of Nintendo Switch. We look forward to revealing specific details at a later date.” - 2K representative
Bethesda
“We’re happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Nintendo on the video. While we are not confirming any specific titles at this time, we are pleased to announce our partnership with Nintendo and support of the Switch. We look forward to revealing specific games and details in the future.” - Bethesda representative
EA
"Congratulations to our partners at Nintendo on their reveal of Nintendo Switch – it’s great to see the excitement for their new device." - EA representative
SEGA
"SEGA and Nintendo have been great partners over the years, and we continue to with our support of the Nintendo Switch. We look forward to revealing specific game plans soon, but have nothing further to announce at this time." - SEGA representativ
e NIS America
“We are very excited about the possibilities that the Nintendo Switch brings to the gaming space. However, we don't have anything to announce about already-existing titles or content that may currently be in development for it at this time.” - NIS America representative
Epic Games
"We're thrilled to partner with Nintendo to help Unreal Engine 4 developers bring their games to Nintendo Switch!" - Epic Games on Twitter
Bandai Namco
"Bandai Namco Entertainment has enjoyed a long partnership of publishing and developing great titles for Nintendo systems. We want to congratulate Nintendo on their exciting announcement. We look forward to bringing both iconic franchises and new titles to Nintendo Switch." - Bandai Namco representative
Telltale
"While we cannot confirm any specific series today, we can share our excitement to soon be bringing our projects to Nintendo Switch. Our dedication to creating emotionally engaging interactive stories that are identical for players using home consoles or on mobile/tablet devices on the go is a perfect fit for Nintendo's innovative new hardware." - Job J Stauffer, Head of Creative Communications, Telltale Games
Warner Bros.
"Nintendo continually innovates to develop unique technology for gamers, and we are excited to expand our long-standing relationship by creating games for the Nintendo Switch." - WB
representative Atlus
"We’re excited to be supporting the Nintendo Switch and believe the games we publish are a perfect fit for the portable nature of the console." - Atlus representative
Nintendo Confirms Switch runs on Custom nVidia Tegra chipset
The first thing to know about the new Nintendo Switch home gaming system: it’s really fun to play. With great graphics, loads of game titles and incredible performance, the Nintendo Switch will provide people with many hours of engaging and interactive gaming entertainment. But creating a device so fun required some serious engineering. The development encompassed 500 man-years of effort across every facet of creating a new gaming platform: algorithms, computer architecture, system design, system software, APIs, game engines and peripherals. They all had to be rethought and redesigned for Nintendo to deliver the best experience for gamers, whether they’re in the living room or on the move. A Console Architecture for the Living Room and Beyond Nintendo Switch is powered by the performance of the custom Tegra processor. The high-efficiency scalable processor includes an NVIDIA GPU based on the same architecture as the world’s top-performing GeForce gaming graphics cards. Nintendo SwitchThe Nintendo Switch’s gaming experience is also supported by fully custom software, including a revamped physics engine, new libraries, advanced game tools and libraries. NVIDIA additionally created new gaming APIs to fully harness this performance. The newest API, NVN, was built specifically to bring lightweight, fast gaming to the masses. Gameplay is further enhanced by hardware-accelerated video playback and custom software for audio effects and rendering. We’ve optimized the full suite of hardware and software for gaming and mobile use cases. This includes custom operating system integration with the GPU to increase both performance and efficiency. NVIDIA gaming technology is integrated into all aspects of the new Nintendo Switch home gaming system, which promises to deliver a great experience to gamers. The Nintendo Switch will be available in March 2017. More information is available at www.nintendo.com/switch.
We can finally say with certainty that the 6.2 inch touchscreen of the tablet will offer 720p resolution while the video output when docked is 1920 x 1080 and 60 frames per second.
Good news for anyone lamenting the loss of the headphone jack in their new smartphone – Nintendo is keeping it going here. Like the latest smartphones, though, the console’s 4310 mAh battery can’t be removed and any replacements will have to go through Nintendo. With this battery Nintendo say you can expect to get more than 6 hours of play on the move. That said, this is dependent on software and usage conditions so if you’re playing a game that’s more demanding like the new Legend of Zelda title, Nintendo say you can expect to get around 3 hours out of a single charge. Fully re-charging from empty will apparently take around 3 hours when the console’s in sleep mode.
Joy-cons have a battery life of around 20 hours.
It supports Wireless AC, the current standard. (Which is very fast)
There’s also good news on the expanded memory front; the console will support micro SD and SDHC cards as well as the previously confirmed SDXC cards which gives plenty of options.
The release of the Switch is fast approaching. Here is my final update before March 3rd (unless something very important comes up) with some information I think is good to know.
According to an article from ArsTechnica: after eight hours in "sleep," a fully charged battery had only drained to 98 percent. I'd say that's pretty damn good. If you were wondering just how long your Switch can stay in sleep mode when undocked, I think you have your answer.
JOY-CONS WILL CHARGE ON SWITCH EVEN WHEN THE SYSTEM ISN'T PLUGGED IN, AS LONG AS THE BATTERY IS FULL ENOUGH. So as long as you get in the habit of slotting the Joy-Cons back into the Switch when you're done playing, you shouldn't ever have to worry about Joy-Cons dying on you. If you take the Switch on the go a lot, make sure you plug it in when you get home!
SWITCH DOES SUPPORT USB BATTERY PACKS FOR CHARGING ON THE GO.
The DigitalFoundry gang has confirmed the use of USB battery packs to charge your Switch on the go. If you're really worried about the amount of time the battery gives you on the go, you can grab one of these USB C battery packs and worry a lot less!
As for the battery life itself a reviewer has provided some valuable information: - played Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for 2 hours and 39 minutes until a battery warning popped up - the battery was at 1% when the warning popped up - you could get another 9 minutes of playtime before the Switch entered sleep mode - the default brightness setting was used - the Switch needed four minutes of charging time before it could be turned on again - after one hour of charging, the system’s battery power was at 45% - it took 2 hours and 11 minutes to charge the battery to 90% - it took 3 hours and 4 minutes until the battery was at 100%
Here are a couple of size comparisons of the Switch and Joycons to a GBA SP:
Also please keep in mind that the Joycon controller grip that converts the individual Joycons to a more traditional style controller DOES NOT charge the Joycons.
If you're worried about accidentally snapping the kickstand off, here's something to calm your fears. The kickstand is made to snap off, so you should be able to pop it back in with no issues as shown in the video below:
Last but not least, many GameStop locations are doing a midnight release of the switch.
Nintendo has finally released some real information about the online services for the Switch.
This paid service lets Nintendo Switch owners enjoy online multiplayer gaming as well as a dedicated smartphone app that connects to your Nintendo Switch system and helps you connect with friends for online play sessions.
Free until 2018
Online Play on Nintendo Switch
You’ll be able to play compatible co-op and competitive games online by signing in with your Nintendo Account. Online play will be free for Nintendo Account holders until our paid online service launches in 2018.
After the free-trial period, most games will require a paid online service subscription from Nintendo in order to play online.
Online lobby and voice chat
Our new dedicated smart device app will connect to Nintendo Switch and let you invite friends to play online, set play appointments, and chat with friends during online matches in compatible games─all from your smart device.
A free, limited version of this app will be available for download in summer 2017.
Classic Game Selection
Subscribers will get to download a compilation of classic titles with added online play, such as Super Mario Bros. 3, Balloon Fight and Dr. Mario.
Nintendo eShop deals
Special offers for subscribers may include discounts on select digital games and content.
Pricing:
1 month
3 months
12 months
$3.99
$7.99
$19.99
Enjoy online services for free until the paid service’s official launch in 2018.